>
> Hi There,
>
>
>
> I am a newbie to the list, I'm also a newcomer to shibuya-kei
> music
>
> and also to pico pop/nano pop/city pop and what other variations
> that
>
> may exist.

I think the Plastics started the pico thing. Unlike YMO they didn't
use game sounds, just sort of twee sounding drum machines but they
are probably the biggest influence aside from old games on many of
the younger bands today in any of those styles.



>
> I first became aware of this kind of music I guess through The
> Yellow
>
> Magic Orchestra, whom I love very much but until recently their
> CDs
>
> have been hard to get hold of.

Well actually there was just a little gap around 2000-2002 when they
were really out of print but given the mass of used copies out there
(including early 90s low priced American remasters) and fairly recent
low priced reissues of their core catalog by Sony EU and Sony Canada
they are many times easier to find than other Japanese bands. p.

For what it's worth, YMO divides into two categories, the core stuff
that originally came out and that the band had a say on. Then in the
early 90s their former label went nuts creating all sorts of remixes
and live CDs often with one track that was "rare". A lot of that
stuff is rare but it's frequently based on leftovers, though some is
interesting. Anyway the main point is their original releases can be
found without paying silly prices. p.s. there's a yahoogroup
YMOrare with 900 or something members with the main focus on trading
rare YMO sort of related tracks

The other YMO era bands were Moonriders, who are very warm and
nostalgic for 40-ish year old Japanese people though aren't as
hightech or unusual as the other bands I'll mention. Anyway they were
very key players on the scene.

There's Ippu-do. I never really got into them though many fans of the
British band Japan are into their connection with that band.
Guitarist Masami Tsuchiya sometimes does interesting solo work.

Hikashu, which predates YMO though far less mainstream were very
electronic in their early years. Very unknown to the filesharing
crowd though these days Makagami the lead singer is in John Zorn's
circle of avant live performance oriented musicians. Around 1980 they
were very Technopop/New Wave though not so much in later years.

P-Model were first produced by Sakuma from the Plastics. They tended
to have a more hard sound and I'd say that along with early
"hardcore" Devo are the basis of the sound of Polysics. They reformed
for most of the 90s with a superb technopop sound. 2004 saw a oneshot
version of the band, Kaku-P-Model, that was fast and hard sounding
again. I really love their 90s material though their first album is a
classic.

>
> My favourites are probably Plus Tech, Yukari Fresh, T. Minekawa
>
> Akiko Yano, Y. Sunahara, Cornelius, Advantage Lucy. But I really
>
> like all the rest, the only name I keep seeing that I didn't
> like when
>
> I heard was Denki Groove, it sounds a little too like commercial
> dance
>
> music to me, oh yea, Supercar were disappointing as well.


Well Denki Geoove have been around over 15 years. I think "Flash
Papa" (their first major label album) through "Dragon" are fantastic
and not much like dance music. That's like 1991-1994.

p.s. Tomoe Shinohara's first one, "Super Model" is Denki Groove
members and their friends backing her

>
> I have cd's coming to me in the post from Maher Shalal Hash Baz,
> 2 from Tomoe
>
> Shinohara, Nobukazu/Assembler (and a seperate Childisc
> compilation) none
>
> of which I've heard, but I'm really looking forward to.
>
>
>
> If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know, you can
> see what my
>
> tastes run to from the above list I guess.

It's often great to explore the *label* websites of any smaller
labels artists that you like are on. Obviously smaller labels tend to
have several bands with a somewhat similar appeal


Well if you get into Takemura (Chilldisc - p.s. Nobukazu is his first
name) there is certainly a huge catalog of releases to explore.

Lots of people like Capsule for a recent take on Shibuya-kei

Anyone know if Cuppie Rumne are still active?
http://www.audioleaf.com/rumne/
fun retro style

Noriko Tujiko has quite a following for her avant pop songs.

Halcali are loads of fun.


nick

oh, many used, often out of print Japanese pop CDs for sale here:
http://technopop.gemm.com/